NATO has established a warfare hub in Srreisa, Norway, right on Russia’s Arctic doorstep. The unique center provides amphibious training for US, British, and Dutch personnel.

Despite Norway not having its own amphibious forces, some of its key military units are based in the region.

This development follows Norway’s increased investment in military facilities since the invasion of Ukraine. The country has invested nearly 16 billion kroner ($1.44 billion) in bases in the Troms region alone.

Srreisa, located by the Reisa Fjord, is home to about 3,500 people. Its local airport also serves as a base for a Joint Air Operations Center (JAOC) and a Control and Reporting Centre (CRC).

During a visit to the site on Thursday, Norway’s defense minister Bjrn Arild Gram stated, “we have to train together in order to protect Norway, the Nordic region and NATO in crisis and war,” according to a translation of a government press release.

Russia has also been implicated in additional “hybrid attacks,” including GPS jamming in the Baltic region, which is disrupting airlines and exacerbating a migration crisis on Finland’s borders. Moscow has refuted these allegations.

These events coincide with a visit by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov to North Korea, where he met with the isolated country’s military and political leaders. This action strengthens the bond between the two countries amid rising global fears of World War III.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the meeting but did not reveal who Belousov would be seeing. This news follows reports from last month that North Korea had dispatched at least 10,000 troops to aid Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.

In a meeting with North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol, Russian official Belousov said: “Russia and North Korea are good neighbors and longtime friends.”